Canada men’s national team star Alphonso Davies has been linked with a move away from Bayern Munich for about a year now.
Davies’ contract runs out at the end of the 2024-25 season. As a result, he can leave Bayern Munich for free. The Edmonton native has been in Bavaria since he signed there from the Vancouver Whitecaps in 2018. Since then, he has established himself as arguably the best left-back in world football.
With Bayern, Davies has won the Bundesliga five times, DFB-Pokal twice, DFL Super Cup three times and in 2020, helped them win the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup.
But as the old saying goes, all good things come to an end. Davies has won everything at Bayern Munich and might be seeking a new challenge and new scenery.
Over the last couple of years, the Canadian has been linked to clubs like Real Madrid, Barcelona, Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea. On Friday, Florian Plettenberg of Sky Germany reported that Manchester United were interested in Davies.
Now this raised some eyebrows. For starters, Manchester United are in turmoil. They currently sit 14th in the Premier League and only have four wins in all competitions this season. The Red Devils have spent a lot of money but their issues also stretch off the pitch.
But after Man United lost 2-1 to West Ham over the weekend, INEOS decided they had enough.
Erik Ten Hag sacked by Manchester United, Door open for Davies?
On Monday, it was announced that Man United sacked manager Erik Ten Hag. This was his third season in Manchester. Despite winning the English League Cup and FA Cup during his tenure, Ten Hag’s Man United will be defined as a team with no identity, a lack of cohesion and a club that saw disappointing and horrid results.
Ten Hag also fell out with players, most notably Cristiano Ronaldo and Jadon Sancho.
As Ten Hag famously once said, “eras come to an end.” His era came to an end and it was an era of turmoil. Ten Hag’s assistant and former Man United striker Ruud Van Nisterooy will serve as interim manager.
So what does this mean for Davies? This could mean the pursuit for him by Man United could be taken more seriously in the coming months. With Ten Hag gone, INEOS and the board will now have control. (And control for the new manager) Perhaps they won’t look at former Ajax players this time.
Davies might just be one of the players they are targeting. Luke Shaw has been Man United’s first-choice left-back but he has been out since February as he dealt with a hamstring issue. He went to play in the Euros with England but in preseason training with Man United, he hurt his calf. The Red Devils also have Tyrell Malacia as a left-back option but he has not played since the end of the 2022-23 season and missed all of last season following knee surgery. Both have been training but it is still unclear when they return.
As a result, Noussair Mazraoui signed from Bayern Munich in August. While he can play both flanks, he is more comfortable as a right-back. Diego Dalot and Lisandro Martinez have also played as left-back this season. But like Mazraoui, Dalot is naturally a right-back and Martinez is naturally a centre-back.
With Shaw and Malacia’s health being concerns, a proven left-back could be high on Man United’s shopping list in 2025.
Davies speaks on his future
Davies is in no rush to decide his future.
When asked about it in an interview with ESPN, (via The Sun) Davies wasn’t interested in discussing the future. He was focused on the present with Bayern Munich.
“As of now, my full focus is to stay healthy and to play the game with the club I’m with right now,” said Davies. “I’m not focused on what’s going on in the future. I’m just focusing on staying healthy and helping my team win. My team make me feel valued. The whole Bayern community make me feel valued. I see that each and every day.”
As for Manchester United, the favourite to succeed Ten Hag is Sporting Lisbon manager Ruben Amorim. According to David Ornstein of The Athletic, talks between Man United and Amorim have already begun.
